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The Lewis and Clark Expedition
A list of presents for Native Americans purchased by Meriwether Lewis in preparation for his expedition, 1803.

A list of presents for Native Americans purchased by Meriwether Lewis in preparation for his expedition, 1803.

The list includes four dozen butcher knives, twelve dozen pocket looking-glasses, seventy-two pairs of striped ribbons, and eight brass kettles.

Transcription:

Indian presents

[[object Object]] no.
12 Pipe Tomahawks . . . . . 8 ¾ . . . x 18 "
6 ½ lb Strips Sheet Iron . . . . .6 ½ . . .x 1.62
1 p. red flannel 47 ½ yd . . . . . 12 3/4 . 5 . 12 . 0 . x 14.94
11 ps. Handkerchief ass[[object Object]]. . . . . . 13 lb . 22 . 8 . 9 . x 59.83
1 doz Ivory Combs . . . . 3 oz . 1 . 5 . 0 . x 3.33
½ Catty Indn. S. Silk . . . . 7 oz . 1 . 8 . 1 ½ . x 3.75
21 lb Tread ass[[object Object]]. . . . . . 21 lb. 8. 13. 9. x 23.17
1 ps. Scarlet Cloth 22 yd . . . . . 28 ¾ . 21 . 18 . 9 . x 58.50
5 ½ doz fan: Hos ---------- 6 3.4} . . 7 . 1. 6 . x 18.87
6 Gro[[object Object]]: Binding . . . . . 9 ¼ }. . 4. 8. 5. x 11.79
2 Cards Beads . . . . . 1 ¾} . 26 ½ . 1 . 8 . 6 . x 3.80
4 doz: Butcher Knives ---------- 8 ¼ } . . 2 . 0 . 0 . x 5.33
12 doz. Pocket Looking Glass . . . . . 12 ½ lb . . . x 5.19
15 doz. Pewter " " . . . . . 3 6/16 . . . x 3.99
8 doz. Burning " " . . . . . 11 ¼ . . . x 12. ..
2 doz . Nonsopretty . . . . . ¾ . . . x 2.94
2 doz. Red Striped tapes[[object Object]] . . . . . 1 ½ . . . x 2.50
72 ps Striped silk ribbon . . . . . 3 ¼ . . . x 39.60
3 lb red Beads . . . . . 3 [[object Object]] . . . x 2.01
6 Paper[[object Object]] Small Bells [[object Object]] . . . . . 1 ¼ . . . x 4.02
1 box with 100 larger " " . . . . . . 1 3/16 . . . x 2.25
73 B[[object Object]] Beads ass[[object Object]] . . . . . 20 . . . x 41. ..
3 ½ doz Tinsel Beads ass[[object Object]] . . . . . 9 oz[[object Object]] . . . x 3.75
1 # Thread [[object Object]]
1 doz: Needle cases . . . . 5 ½ oz . . . x .30
2 /34 doz Lockets . . . . . 3 oz . . . x 3.56
8 ½ [[object Object]] Red Beads . . . . . 8 ½ . . . x 25.50
2 doz: Earrings . . . . . . . . . x 1. ..
8 Brass kettles . . . . [[object Object]] 24/[[object Object]] 19 20 . 3 4 . 16 0 . x 10.14 10.67
12 lb Brass Strips . . . . 12 lb . 2 . 11 . 0 . x 6.80
500 Broaches . . . . . } . . . . x 62.07
72 Rings . . . . . } 1 ½ lb } . . . x 6.00
2 Corn Mills . . . . 52 ¾ . . . x 20.00
15 doz: Scissors[[object Object]] . . . . . 17 ¼} [[object Object]] . . . x 18.97
[[object Object]] confirmed 496.82
add [[object Object]] 53
[[object Object]] 507.35

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Citation Information
“List of Indian Presents Purchased by Meriwether Lewis in Preparation for the Expedition to the West,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/2638c6ebd7901dd8aab8f24c408918b0.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

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Item 5 of 14 in the Primary Source Set The Lewis and Clark Expedition

Previous ItemNext Item
A photograph of a portrait of Captain Meriwether Lewis, 1918.
A letter from Meriwether Lewis requesting payment for supplies used on the Lewis and Clark expedition, 1806.
A letter from Meriwether Lewis to President James Madison about Lewis’s journey to deliver papers to Washington, 1809.
Meriwether Lewis’s telescope, manufactured in 1795.
A list of presents for Native Americans purchased by Meriwether Lewis in preparation for his expedition, 1803.
A drawing by expedition sergeant Patrick Gass in 1807 of the men building their camps as they traveled.
A map of the Lewis and Clark expedition route overlaid on a map of the US in 1945.
A US dollar coin, minted in 2000, showing Lewis and Clark’s Shoshone guide, Sacagawea.
A 1903 map of the land gained through the Louisiana Purchase.
A picture of a Shoshone women and children, circa 1888-1892.
A photo of Mandan lodge made of sod similar to ones encountered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
A portrait of William Clark, circa 1790-1820.
A portrait of Thomas Jefferson, who was president when the Louisiana Territory was purchased and commissioned Lewis and Clark’s expedition.
A photograph of a 1905 sculpture of Sacagawea by Alice Cooper located in Portland, Oregon.

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